Check-writer



C. G. TIEFEL.

CHECK WRITER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2| 1919.

1,386,383. Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOH 7 CHARLES G. T/EFEL A TTO/M/EY C. G. TIEFEL.

CHECK WRITER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2, 1919.

1,386,383, Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IIIHI l/VI/E/VTOI? CHARLES G. T/EFEL ,4 TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. TIEFEL, OF FAIRPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T TODD PROTECTOGRAPH COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK,

CHECK-WRITER.

Application filed August 2, 1919.

. useful Improvements in Check Nriters, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to printing machines and has particular reference to machines for impressing limiting amounts upon checks and other negotiable instruments.

In the accompanying drawings, the improvements are shown applied to a word printingcheck writer of a kind which is now well known on the market and which is fully shown and described in an application for U. S. LettersPatent filed April 23, 1917 by Libanus M. Todd, application No. 163,901, but this is an illustrative embodiment only; As will be clear later, the .improvements can be applied in various forms and modifications to a large number of other figure and-word printing machines known in the art.

An object of the invention is to improve upon the construction shown and described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 7 93,249 issued June 27, 1905 to Libanus M. Todd. In that patent there is disclosed a type carrier and platen construction whereby in printing the paper is cut, disrupted or shredded so as to facilitate impregnatihg the paper with ink. Amounts so shredded into the paper cannot be completely erased, but attempts might be made to raise checks so printed by first removing some of the surface ink and'then printing a larger amount over a smaller one. This would be diflicult to dosucce'ssfully, butjsuch a raised check might pass some one who was careless in his inspection. This invention provides a construction whereby machines having a universal platen,

that is, a platen having a single impression face cooperating with a number of different type forms, may be so constructed that attempts to impress a larger amount upon a smaller one will mutilate, out or weaken the paper to such an extent that it will not bear handling. This result has been obtained in certain prior art machines where there are different platen faces for different type, but as far as the applicant is aware, this is the first construction whereby the result can be Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

Serial No. 314,969.

obtained in a machine having a universal platen.

With this and other objects in'view, the inventio consists in the novel construction and com ination of elements, the features of novelty of which are set forth in appended claims, and one form of embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of the specification.

Of said drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of the assembled machine used for illustration.

Fig. 2- is a left hand view ofthe same machine.

Fig. 3 is the same as Fig.1 except that parts are cut and broken away to expose the improved and other partsto view.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view on a slightly enlarged scale of the improved platen.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 5. i

Fig- 7 is a development of the type wheel of the illustrative machine with the type faces constructed according to the invention.

Stated in a general way, the illustrative machine has a type carrier which is adjustable to different positions to set any one of a number of type lines thereon in position to cooperate with a universal platen. Certain ones of the type forms are of about the same length and some of them resemble one another in their general outlines. For example, the word FIVE is about the same in length as the word. NINE and there is enough resemblance in the general outlines of the two to facilitate attempts to fraudu To prevent such frau' s from being successfully perpetrated, the improved type for rintin words which are apt to be involved in making fraudulent changes are providedr direction of the two sets of projections on the type. The best results are obtained by a construction which permits having the grooves inthe platen-intersect at a right angle, although variations from that angle may be made without greatly affecting the result.

The machine used for illustration has an outside casing comprising a base 10 and hood 11 separated at the front to form a work receiving slot 12. i

J ournaled in the hood 11 above the slot is a shaft 13 to which is secured a type carrier or support 14 having .a plurality of lines of type 15 for printing different words.

Fastened to the shaft 13 is a knob 16 for use in turning the type carrier to different positions. An indicator '17 moving with the type carrier coi iperates with an index 18 to guide the operator. When any character on the indicator is set opposite the index, the type 15 for printing the corresponding Word will be above a'universal platen '19.

Any suitable mechanism. may be employed for alinin very satis actory one is shown in applica tion No. 163,901, referred to above.

The platen 19 is adjustably supported by a lever 21 pivoted upon a rod 22. The rear end. of the lever is connected by a link 23 to short arms 24 fastenedto a rockshaft- 25 extending across the rear of the machine. The arms 24 and link 23 form. a toggle so that when the shaft 25 is. rocked counter position when the The rock-sha'ft25 isimoved to forcetheclockwise (Fig. 4), the platen 19 will beraised to press the paper against the type face resting above the platen. .',A spring 26 tends at all times to holdthe platen 19in];

n and. returnsflit to that the position show shaft 25 is released.

platen against the type by means of ai1'op-- crating handle 27 and the type. areinked by engagement with an inkroll- 28" as the type carrier is rotated to different positions '1n the course of selecting the type to be printed from.

As shown in' Fig. 7, the word type forms of the illustrative machine .are of different lengths and the impressions'from vtheir faces will occupy correspondingly different extents ofsurface. It is necessary after print;

the type withthe platen; A

ing one of the words to feed the paper a distance corresponding to the length of the imprint so as to present a fresh surface for the next impression. This is effected by a flanged feeding element 31 attached to a shaft 32 extending from front to' rear in the base 10. The front of the base 10 has a vertical slot (not shown) surrounding the shaft .32 so that the forward end of the shaft may be .depressed against the tension of a spring 33 to carry the feeding element 31 away from cooperating rollers 34 a distance sufficient to permit inserting and removing the paper. A knob 35 fastened to the shaft 32 provides a means for both depressing the shaft and turning it to different positions. When the shaft is turned, the feeding element 31 cooperates with the rollers 34 to feed thework between the platen and type carrier, the distance of the feed depending upon the length of the word last printed.

To print an inscription on a check the knob 16 is first turned to a position where the character 36 (Fig. 7) is at the printing 'line and the handle 27 is then operated to make an impression; The knob is turned to select the different words to make up the inscription and as each'is brought to the printing point, the handle 27 is operated to make an impression. Between the printing impressions the feeding device 35 is operated to feed the paper so that the words will follow one another in correct relation and with the proper word spacing gap between them.' As shown in Fig. 7 some of the type forms have ridges or'corrugations extending in one direction across their faces, while the 'rest of the type are provided with similar ridges or corrugations extending in a different direction, and the universal platen19 is, as

shown in Fig. 5, constructed with'tw'o sets of grooves intersecting at approximately a right angle; One set of grooves is to regis ter withand receive the type ridges running at one angle, while the other set of gro'dves is to receive the ridges running-at 'the other angle The construction is such that no matter what type is positioned at the printing point, the platen will accommodate the ridges on the type so that the shredding funci'tion will be performed along practically-continuous lines as shown in Patent No. 7 93,249.

hereinbefore mentioned.'- This may be fa- .cilitated to a certain extent byblunting the apices of the ridges (pr-projections, as illustrated in Fig. 6, but satisfactory results are obtained without doing this. although the sharp points are more 'apt tomutilate the type if impressions are attempt diwithout having the type in correct registration 'with the laten. '7

to use the same example as before, the word FIVE is first printe and. then an attempt W1th'a construction such as described, if; i

platen and a made to superimpose an impression of the word NINE, the ridges in the word FIVE shredding projections on the FIVE and NINE type are at different angles (see Fig. 7), it is clear that printing the word NINE over the word FIVE will result in shred ding the paper in two directions, one shredding intersecting the other, so that the paper will he so nearly destroyed where printed as to prevent negotiation of the instrument.

The ridges on each type form may be d1sposed at either angle desired with reference to the type for other words which are likely to be employed in making raises. I As another example, the word EIGHTY is one letter longer than the word EIGHT, but if the word EIGHTY is printed over the word EIGHT, the first, five letters will coincide. If, through careless operation, a sufiicient space is left after printing the word EIGHT, a check might be raised by simply over-printing the word EIGHTY. As will be seen by again referring to Fig. 7, the ridges on the type for printing these two words run in different directions so that the effect of such a superimposed printing will be to destroy the paper.

From the foregoing, it is clear that theconstruction herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfil the objects hereinbefore stated, but it is not the desire to be limited to any one embodiment. The inventive idea is one which is capable of use in various forms and modifications in a number of different machines for different purposes, these various embodiments all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is: i

1. In a'inachine of the class described, a printing couple comprising a universal plurality of printing type,.said platen and type having their impression faces constructed to shred the paper at different angles for different values, and means for operating the printing couple to print any desired values.

2. In a machine of the class described, a printing couple comprising a universal platen and a plurality of word type forms for printing words representing different values, the platen. and type having their I impression faces constructed to shred the paper at different angles for different values, and means for operating the printing couple toprint fro m any desired type form.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a type carrier provided witha plurality of printing type, some of which have shredding projections extending in one direction across their faces and others having such projections extending across their faces in a different direction, a universal platen having its impression face recessed to register with both sets of projections, and means for effecting printing engagement of the platen and any desired type.

. 4. In a machine of the class described, the combination with an adjustable type support provided with a plurality of type forms, some of which have elongated shredding projections extending across their faces in one direction and the other type having similar projections extending across their faces in a different direction, a universal platen having depressions to register with and receive either of the two sets of shredding projections on the type, and means for adjusting the type support to position any desired type opposite the platen.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with an adjustable type carrier provided with printing type, some of which have elongated shredding projections extending across their faces at one angle and the others having projections extending across their faces at a different angle, of a universal platen having its impression surface provided with recesses to register with and receive all of the projections on the type, and means for effecting a relative printing movepient of the type support and platen.

6. n avmachine of the class described, the combination with a type carrier provided with'a plurality of type, some of which have ridges extending in one direction across their printing faces and others having such ridges extending across their printing faces at a different direction, a universal platen having its impression face formed with intersecting sets of grooves to receive either set of ridges on the type, and means for effecting a printing engagement of the platen and any desired type.

7. In a machine of the class described, the

, combination with a universal platen having its impression face provided with intersecting sets of grooves, ofa type support provided with a plurality of type, some of which have their printing faces ridged to cooperate with one set of grooves in the platen and the rest ridged to cooperate with the other set of said grooves, means for applying ink to the type, and means for operating the platen and type carrier to print from any desired type.

In testimony whereof I hereby aflix my signature.

CHARLES e. TIEFEL. 

